Forest Whitaker Provides Finale for 2012 Ringling College Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab SeasonApril 24, 2012 - Forest Whitaker provided the finale for the 2012 Ringling College Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab Season that included Elijah Wood, Edward Burns, James Woods and Whit Stillman. Besides learning directly from film icons, Ringling students also worked on feature film productions including "Spring Breakers" with director Harmony Korine and actress Selena Gomez, and Anna Paquin’s "Free Ride."

Ringling College of Art and Design today reported on the completion of the third season of the College’s Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab, which featured actor/director Forest Whitaker in the season finale leading question and answer sessions with students, local filmmakers and media following a screening of his Academy Award-winning performance in "The Last King of Scotland."

In the public question and answer session moderated by producer Paul Schiff, Forest stated that, “Honestly, you can make a movie and you can tell a story. It is possible, it’s more than possible - you can do it, it’s just a question of having the fortitude to push it forward and getting somebody to see it.” Of particular interest to Ringling students was Mr. Whitaker's transition from actor to director and what they could learn through his experiences to become better directors themselves.